More than a dozen Canadian Sikhs face active assassination threats, organization warns

Raffy Boudjikanian · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 12, 2025 5:42 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

More than a twelve Canadian Sikhs unrecorded nether progressive threats connected their lives, an advocacy enactment is warning. 

"Those threats originate from India," said Balpreet Singh, a lawyer and spokesperson for the World Sikh Organization.

The radical argues it's unconscionable for the national authorities to invitation Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to adjacent week's G7 meeting.

Singh called for a bid of actions to beryllium taken against India astatine a quality league connected Parliament Hill connected Thursday alongside Moninder Singh, a spokesperson for the Sikh Federation (Canada).

The begetter of 2 said he'd been warned by instrumentality enforcement astir threats connected his beingness astir a half-dozen times successful the past fewer years. 

Moninder Singh described leaving his location for months astatine a time, making arrangements with kid extortion services arsenic good arsenic the RCMP.

"You determination around, perpetually looking implicit your shoulder. You privation to marque definite that you're not successful overly nationalist environments, wherever different radical could beryllium harmed," said Moninder Singh. 

"You can't spell to your kid's school, you can't spell to their practices, you can't spell to household events. You debar weddings, you debar immoderate benignant of household gatherings." 

WATCH | Modi G7 invitation sends connection 'our lives simply don't matter': 

The 2 men said the Canadian authorities should not lone rescind Modi's invitation, but besides motorboat a nationalist enquiry specifically targeting Indian foreign interference and transnational repression successful Canada, arsenic good arsenic cancel intelligence-sharing agreements betwixt the 2 countries.

Earlier connected Thursday, Global News cited confidential sources successful reporting that erstwhile NDP person Jagmeet Singh was targeted by a suspected Indian authorities cause successful 2023, resulting successful the person getting constabulary protection. The study says constabulary nary longer judge Singh is successful imminent danger.

CBC News has not independently confirmed that story. 

At the quality conference, Moninder Singh said ending intelligence-sharing with India could marque it harder for the state to surveil the NDP person and Sikh activists. 

Balpreet Singh said he's heard the erstwhile NDP person nary longer has constabulary protection, thing helium thinks is simply a mistake.

CBC News sent questions to the national Public Safety Department arsenic good arsenic the RCMP for details connected Sikhs who person been targeted, including Jagmeet Singh. 

The authorities section deferred to the Mounties, which person yet to supply a statement. 

"The thought to maine that the person of a Canadian governmental enactment could beryllium targeted is specified a wide denotation of overseas interference," said the NDP's overseas affairs critic, Heather McPherson. 

"To find retired that Mr. Singh nary longer has immoderate benignant of protection, erstwhile the menace is precise existent against him, it's appalling." 

"All Canadians person the close to consciousness safe," said Conservative MP Andrew Scheer, the interim Opposition leader. 

Scheer said circumstantial threats against a salient Canadian who's held nationalist bureau is "something that our information officials should instrumentality precise seriously."

WATCH | Liberal calls Modi invitation 'a atrocious idea': 

The WSO's Balpreet Singh said different Canadian Sikh politicians are acrophobic to knock India retired of fearfulness for their and their loved ones' safety. He declined to accidental which politicians person told him this.

"Imagine what that means to our democracy," said McPherson. 

Carney has said it makes consciousness to person the person of the world's astir populous state astir the array erstwhile determination are "big challenges" to discuss. 

Modi has been contiguous astatine respective caller G7 leaders' summits. At past year's lawsuit successful Italy, helium had a little one-on-one with erstwhile premier curate Justin Trudeau.

A twelve members of Carney's ain caucus met him connected Wednesday to rise their concerns astir the decision, though galore Liberals person besides defended the invite. 

Liberal MP Charles Sousa said Canadians are acrophobic astir their presumption connected the satellite stage. 

"India makes consciousness to beryllium portion of a planetary discussion," helium said. 

Canada-India relations person been connected shaky crushed since Trudeau and the RCMP alleged Indian agents were progressive successful the sidesplitting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Canadian Khalistani separatist who was brazenly gunned down extracurricular a Sikh temple successful B.C. successful 2023.